Priyanka Gandhi today announced that she was not only targeting Lok Sabha elections but also the next UP assembly elections in 2022. "For 2019, the focus is to defeat the BJP. By 2022, I want to strengthen the Congress so that we can fight well," she said.

Polling in Amethi and Raebareli will take place in the sixth phase on May 6. Both the seats are currently held by the Congress. (PTI)

An unusual video of Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra emerged online on Thursday. Priyanka, who has been handed charge of the crucial eastern Uttar Pradesh region, has been touring the state campaigning for her party. In the course of her campaign in her mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s Lok Sabha constituency of Raebareli, Priyanka interacted with snake charmers and even fiddled with snakes. In a minute-long video, she can be seen chatting and holding up snakes in her hands. Priyanka has made frequent visits to Amethi and Raebareli — both are Congress’ traditional seats.

Priyanka Gandhi today announced that she was not only targeting Lok Sabha elections but also the next UP assembly elections in 2022. “For 2019, the focus is to defeat the BJP. By 2022, I want to strengthen the Congress so that we can fight well,” she said. Priyanka also accused the BJP of building a narrative which was not concerned with the public. She said that the ruling party wanted to deflect people’s attention from real issues.

She also said that the ideology of Congress and BJP is poles apart. “We will always fight them, they are our main adversary in politics. We have made sure not to benefit BJP in any way. We are fighting strongly, our candidates are strong,” the Congress leader added. Earlier in an interview, Priyanka had said that wherever Congress was weak it had put such candidates who can hurt the BJP by cutting its vote, evoking sharp reactions from SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati, the two parties contesting elections in an alliance in UP. The leaders said that contrary to Priyanka’s claims, it was the Congress and BJP who were hand in glove in their bid to weaken the prospects of the alliance.

Polling in Amethi and Raebareli will take place in the sixth phase on May 6. Both the seats are currently held by the Congress. However, this time, the contest in Amethi appears to be tough for Rahul Gandhi who is also contesting from Wayanad in Kerala. The BJP has fielded union minister Smriti Irani to take on the Congress president in Amethi.

Irani today said that the Congress was fighting a battle to lose. “We gave chase to the Congress President so much so that he had to literally run even after SP-BSP pledged support on this seat. This is not a fight between BJP and Congress. This is a genuine fight between people and a ‘lapata sansad’ (missing MP),” the minister said.